Life

Engagement Life (The Do’s!)

Having a 10 month engagement has its difficulties and its joys. On one end, it’s hard to be patient and wait for the day you’ve been thinking about and planning out for months, or even years, in my case. But on the other end, there’s less of a rush on everything and so much time to enjoy the season of life that getting engaged presents.

I have had so much time to plan and dream, to save money and be frugal through holiday and year-end sales, and prepare for the special life-changing season ahead. When I got engaged, I couldn’t wait to take advantage of everything engagement offers. I went straight to all the Pinterest articles I pinned at 15 years old and read all the advice and tips I could find. As the months went on, I realized just how many resources were out there for couples recently engaged, so I thought I would share a list of all the engaged-life things Nick and I have discovered.

Preparing for Marriage

I’m not a huge reader, but when it comes to such an important thing like marriage, I’m all for learning as much as possible. As a planner, I love getting ahead of the game and prepping for all that’s to come. Here are a few books and resources Nick and I have found to be beneficial to our engagement.

31 Prayers for my Future Husband/Wife (Book)

This book is so creative and fun to read because it showed me all the ways I can be praying for Nick specifically now that we are officially on our way to marriage. It is such a sweet template for prayer and I feel like I can better support him when I know all the things to be praying for for him.

Preparing for Marriage (Book) and
 A Christ Centered Wedding (Book)

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Both of these books, we have only started, but so far they are both awesome! Preparing for Marriage, we have done together every Sunday and it’s been so fun to do the activities and discussions together, like our own little premarital counseling! Thanks to my sista for getting the good reads for us!

 

Engagement Bible

One day, Nick and I were at the Christian Bookstore buying new bibles for each other and we came across a bible with specific devotionals for engaged couples! This was so exciting because earlier that week I had just mentioned to one of our pastors that I would like prayer for Nick and I to learn how to grow close spiritually, and this bible seemed like such a direct answer to that request. It includes 26 pages featuring 52 devotions on key topics, including:

  • Communication
  • In-laws
  • Careers
  • Finances
  • Children
  • and many more

And it has a “Proposal Story” page which is just so special!

Premarital Counseling 

For us, premarital counseling was an easy and obvious decision because so many people have recommended doing it and we were excited to prepare as far as we can for marriage. I love the idea of counseling not because I feel as though something is wrong and needs help in our relationship, but because it’s so encouraging and inspiring to have everything out on the table, uncovered and honest with each other, and that’s what premarital counseling is built for!

Wisdom Collecting

One thing I’m committed to doing is listening to every bit of advice that wise adults in my life have for me. A huge benefit to getting married young is the fact that Nick and I haven’t been stuck in our ways yet. We have a fresh perspective and haven’t developed as many habits. This is the perfect canvas for engagement because we have the opportunity to start out stronger than some who have had to figure it all out later in life. We won’t nail all the wise choices right away, but we can fill our mind with truth before the world pushes us the lies. Below are some articles I’ve found bits of wisdom in.

Best Marriage Advice I’ve Ever Heard
Preparing for Marriage – Focus on the Family
4 Pieces of Advice for Engaged Couples
Worthwhile Advice for the Engaged and Newly Married
A God-Scripted Engagement

Financial Peace University (Video and Workbook Series)

I knew nothing about handling my personal money before doing FPU. Whether you’re engaged or not, I highly recommend taking FPU. For the small price and commitment of a couple months, this is SO worth it. Nick and I did this together with 2 married couples and it was so beneficial in our understanding of God’s money and how we each handle it. As money problems are a large cause in divorce, it is so important to be on the same page with your spouse from the beginning. I’m a lot more excited for financial decisions with Nick now that I know how to make those decisions wisely and work together. And again, I recommend to anyone and everyone. P.s. Thanks to Garret and Jessica for leading this for us!

Read blogs, Pinterest articles, and posts on The Knot

There is an abundance of fun things to read about, revolving around weddings and marriage online. From lists of things not to forget, to articles on managing stress, reading blogs has really been beneficial for my spinning head times and has sparked creativity and excitement!

Fun Items to Buy

Engagement Mugs
mug

I was so excited when my sister got me this mug! It’s perfect for posting on social media about your new engagement and I get so happy inside whenever I use it!

There are many different sayings and mugs but I linked this one specifically.

(Thanks Sis!)

 

Bride Robe
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My mom got me this robe for Christmas and it is the
softest and coziest robe. Ever. I can’t wait to wear this while getting ready on my big day!

 

 

 

Socks

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These were originally on ASOS but they are no longer in stock so I linked it to a similar pair.

I LOVE socks, so finding these was so fun. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but they are glittery!

 

Shirts

Etsy has a TON of adorable Bride shirts, along with bridesmaid shirts! And Davids Bridal also has a good selection of tees and tanks for brides. I haven’t bought one yet, but I plan on getting one before my bachelorette party, so watch my Instagram for details this
summer!

Things to Do

Share your proposal story on How He Asked (The Knot)

This was one of my favorite things I did after Nick proposed because as I was over the moon excited, I couldn’t help but tell everyone and talk about it all day long. When my story was posted on The Knot, so many sweet people sent me messages and commented on the posts acting almost as excited as I was, which made it all the more fun!

Click here to see our story on How He Asked

Make your Wedding Website

I linked The Knot’s wedding websites because that’s what Nick and I used, but there are many other platforms to use like Wedding Wire, Minted, Square Space, and My Wedding. These are really fun to make because you can easily store all your pictures, details, and information on it and when your aunts call and want to know EVERYTHING, you can send them to your website first! Many websites also allow for RSVP organizing which I love! (P.s. If anyone has found a template that allows for embedded videos, let me know!)

Click here to see our wedding website

Attend Crate and Barrel Events

My cousin Rachel, who is also engaged, invited us to one of these events with her and her fiancé. We ended up going a different day, but really enjoyed it! We were able to walk through the store and see everything we registered for online and make changes or add things. They served snacks and drinks and had a raffle which we won this waffle maker in!

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Workout Plans

Pinterest has TONS of workout plans built for preparing for your wedding. Nick and I have started at home workouts, so we can look our best on our wedding day. Not only is this a fun thing to do together, but it starts out good habits before you’ve settled into your new lifestyle together.

Home Shopping

As much as registering is important, making your new home a place designed for the both of you is also a special experience. I think one of my favorite parts about being engaged is dreaming of our new life together and about starting fresh in a new place with a new routine. Designing our bedroom and living room has been so much fun and we love seeing this new place come together with all of OUR stuff. We each bring some of our own things, but the style is completely ours instead of a mixed up version of us separately if that makes sense. Some people don’t care so much about this, but for us it has been such a sweet memory watching our lives collide in this way.

There are a lot of good places to buy furniture and decorations, but listed below are a few of my go-to’s and faves. (I will do a blog on our room specifically when we are all done and moved in!)

Wayfair
Target
H&M
Society 6
Urban Outfitters
Overstock
Hobby Lobby

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I would LOVE to hear any other suggestions on things to do and resources for when you’re engaged, so comment below!

XOXO

❤ Shayla

Fall Fashion (& Sunriver!)

I had one of the coziest trips last weekend with my family and I honestly wish I was still laying around intentionally relaxing and doing close to nothing. My parents and sister and brother-in-law and their kids and my brother and his girlfriend and Nick all stayed in a big house together and ate the best meals ever. My grandparents also joined for a couple days which was so special!

Of course while we were there, Nick and I did a little fall shoot which we started at the house and then went to the high desert museum. People who know me best know how much I adore fashion and clothes in general so it always seems fitting to take some pictures of my favorite outfits. And people who know me really well know that I basically only ever online shop with the intention of getting the best deals (and not having to waste gas and leave my bed). I don’t think a day goes by that I’m not looking at clothes online honestly. This outfit as a whole cost under $100 and that’s just the way I roll. I wear these pants at least once a week because they are SO comfortable. I really appreciate comfort when it comes to fashion and not to mention they are thick enough to stay warm and they fit like a glove!

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// Sweater from H&M // pants from Forever 21 // shoes from JustFab (similar pair in suede!)

I also couldn’t wait to show you something that Nick and I started this weekend! I ordered 2 books for Nick and I as we approach marriage in 8 short months. 31 Prayers for my future wife/husband is such a neat devotional! The book walks you through 31 different prayers to pray for your future spouse. After you read the author’s prayers, there is space to write your own. Nick and I took these books out on the porch of the house where we were staying, turned on the fire, and side by side read and prayed for each other. It was such a special time and it has stretched my understanding of marriage even more. And the great weather and cozy fire was such a bonus too.

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// pink sweater from H&M (similar one linked here) //